126 pages 22 cm

Includes bibliographical references (pages 121-123)

Introduction to the cave. Cave formation ; cave-owner/caver relationships -- Personal caving equipment. Clothing ; the cave pack ; first-aid kit ; food ; light sources ; kneepads -- Choosing and maintaining caving equipment. Selecting equipment ; caring for equipment ; the carbide lamp -- Essential knots for caving. Single bowline ; bowline on coil ; half hitch, figure 8, and overhand knots ; butterfly loop ; fisherman's knot ; prusik knot -- General caving safety. Leadership ; duties of the leader ; size of the group ; miscellaneous cautions -- Moving through a cave. Squeezing ; safety in squeezes ; rock-climbing in a cave -- Belaying. When to belay ; how to position the belay ; stopping the fall ; static belaying ; dynamic belaying ; belaying the cable ladder climber ; belaying rock-climbing ; climbing signals ; belaying the rappelling caver -- Rappelling. Construction of rappelling equipment ; rappelling technique ; special cautions ; descending deep pits -- Prusiking. Prusik technique ; prusik difficulties ; putting knots on the rope ; choice of a chest harness ; prusik knot materials ; preparing for rappelling and prusiking predicaments ; prusik sling construction ; ascending in deep pits -- Cable ladder technique. Cable ladder construction ; climbing the free-hanging ladder ; climbing a cable ladder resting against rock ; miscellaneous difficulties ; rigging and derigging the cable ladder ; rolling the cable ladder ; raising and lowering the equipment -- Emergencies in caving. Sample emergency list ; obtaining help in an emergency ; getting lost in a cave ; hypothermia ; panic ; flooding ; leadership in an emergency -- Accidents involving injury. Wounds and bleeding ; how to restore breathing ; shock ; unconsciousness and head injury ; fractures ; moving the victim

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